Graham grows climbing and compact rambling roses up tall obelisks to add height to his flower borders. Here, he offers some tips on which cultivars to choose and how to train them.
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Buy an obelisk or tripod at least 2m tall and secure it in the ground, so that 30cm is below the soil level.
Before planting, enrich the top 20cm of soil with one bucketful of home-made compost or well-rotted farmyard manure per square metre.
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Then, close to one of the obelisk’s legs, dig a hole twice the width of the rose’s root ball and the same depth.
Plant the rose in the hole with the graft union (the knobbly area at the base of the stem) at soil level. Backfill and firm in gently.
As roses grow, secure the young flexible stems to the horizontal bars with plant ties. Bending the stems so they wrap around the obelisk will encourage flowering.
Remove any stems growing away from the support, and cut off faded flowers to encourage new productive stems to form.
Water regularly until the rose is established. Prune in late winter, removing dead and old wood, shortening side stems, and tying in new growth. Feed with a general rose fertiliser each spring.
My favourite rambling roses include the repeat-flowering Rosa Malvern Hills (= ‘Auscanary’) creamy-white R. ‘Albéric Barbier’ and pale-pink R. The Lady of the Lake (= ‘Ausherbert’).
Find out more about Graham Lloyd-Brunt’s work at lloydbrunt.com